1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical power control, and more specifically, to the control of electrical devices, including lamps, by both standard wall switches and additional controls without the position of any wall switch or control preventing the others from operating.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To promote safety, the National Electrical Code Section 210-70(a) requires every room in a house or office to have lighting controlled by a wall switch. In most rooms, the wall switch can control one or more receptacle outlets to power floor, table, desk or other plug-in lamps. If a switch on a lamp is turned off, the wall switch can no longer turn on the lamp. This thwarts the intended safety of lighting a room before entering it. A table lamp on a night stand exemplifies the problem. Before going to sleep, the lamp is switched off. The next morning there is no impetus to turn the lamp switch back on. The next evening the wall switch can no longer turn on the lamp. Thus, one needs to walk in the dark towards the lamp and fumbling in the dark to locate the lamp switch to light the room.
Lamp switches are often found in inconvenient locations, such as under a lamp shade next to the base of a burning light bulb, on a lamp cord, or behind the lamp. Such switch locations require bending down, reaching underneath a lamp shade near a hot, bright light bulb, or reaching around behind a lamp or table to reach the lamp switch. Switches in these common locations are often difficult to locate and to operate. Even lamp switches on the base of a lamp are not always easy to reach and operate.
It would be desirable to provide one or more remote controls that allow the following: can be placed in easily accessible locations to replace the function of lamp switches, which cooperate with wall switches, provide additional functional features, and are easy to find and operate. Existing lamp switches can be left in the ON position, and can optionally have the switch knobs or handles removed or fixed in the ON position. The original lamp switches will most likely be ignored because the remote controls will be located in preferable locations, making them easier to use than the lamp switches. For example, a touch switch sitting on a night stand is easier to reach and operate.
To simplify installation and thereby reduce cost, it is desirable that the device plug into a standard wall outlet and the lamps or other electrical devices and an additional control or controls connect to the device. This avoids modifications to building wiring and the need for an electrician or any special tools to install it.
Therefore a need existed to provide an improved system and method for overcoming the above problem. The improved system and method will provide one or more remote controls that can be placed in easily accessible locations to replace the function of lamp switches, cooperate with existing wall switches, provide additional features, and are easy to find and operate.